Duke in the WNBA: Gray hits game winner, Brown debuts during opening week

<p>Lexie Brown scored five points in her professional debut.</p>

Lexie Brown scored five points in her professional debut.

With the 2018 WNBA season in full swing, the Blue Zone takes a look at the eight former Blue Devils currently playing across five WNBA teams in the league's first week of games for the year. 

Alana Beard and Chelsea Gray, Los Angeles Sparks 

Chelsea Gray hit a buzzer beater in Game 2 of the WNBA Finals last season to send the Sparks to a deciding Game 3 before losing the championship to the Minnesota Lynx. In a finals rematch on opening night, the Duke graduate used a spin move to get past one defender and finished a lefty layup over two more as the horn sounded to give the Sparks a 77-76 win in front of a sell-out crowd of 13,032 fans. 


That bucket gave Gray 18 for the game on 7-of-16 shooting to go along with eight assists and six steals. The veteran Alana Beard grabbed three rebounds, but went scoreless in her season debut on four shots.

In the Duke duo’s second game two days later, Gray dropped 12 points on 40 percent shooting. The 5-foot-11 guard made an impact in the paint for the second game in a row, as she brought down seven rebounds. Also, for the second straight game, Gray notched eight assists in the 87-70 win against the Indiana Fever. Beard scored her first four points of the season to accompany two rebounds and a steal in 26 minutes of play.

Upcoming: May 24 at Connecticut Sun; May 27 vs. Phoenix Mercury

Lexie Brown and Jasmine Thomas, Connecticut Sun 

Jasmine Thomas kicked off her eighth professional season with a 12-point outing in the Suns’ 101-65 blowout win against the Las Vegas Aces. The 2017 WNBA All-Star added six assists and a pair of rebounds in the team’s victory. Thomas, a 2011 first round selection, also registered two blocks. In her much-anticipated WNBA debut, Lexie Brown played just 10 minutes, but filled up the scorebook like she did in the past two seasons for the Blue Devils. Unlike Thomas, Brown came off the bench due to the depth of the Sun backcourt. The Suwanee, Ga., native dished out four assists and finished the game with two steals and four rebounds. Brown scored her first three points of her career from behind the arc in the fourth quarter and she converted two free throws.

Upcoming: May 24 vs. Los Angeles Sparks; May 26 vs. Indiana Fever

Monique Currie and Krystal Thomas, Washington Mystics 

Monique Currie started her 13th season off well, as the veteran guard scored 11 points in the Mystics opener. In her return to Washington D.C. after three seasons elsewhere, Currie was one of four Mystic players to score in double-digit figures in the team’s 82-75 victory over the Indiana Fever. On the night, the 6-foot forward registered three rebounds and knocked down two triples. The other Blue Devil to see the floor was Krystal Thomas, who added in four points in her second season with the Mystic. The 6-foot-5 center pulled down four rebounds and registered one block.

In the team’s second regular season game, the result was the same. The Mystic took out the Las Vegas Aces 75-70. Although the Mystic got off to a slow start, Elena Delle Donne carried them to victory. Currie was held scoreless in 18 minutes of play, but she was able to bring down five boards. She also earned her first two steals of the season. Thomas also did not have a strong outing in the scoring department. The center’s only point of the night came on a free throw as she did not take a shot over the course of her 13 minutes on the floor.


Upcoming: May 24 at Indiana Fever; May 27 v. Minnesota Lynx; May 29 at Seattle Storm

Elizabeth Williams, Atlanta Dream 

Elizabeth Williams’ season did not get off to the best start. The 2017 All-Star only made one shot on her 10 shots from the field while shooting 25 percent from the free throw line on four attempts. The 6-foot-3 center brought down four offensive rebounds to finish with six boards. Williams registered three assists to accompany two steals in the Atlanta Dream’s 101-78 loss to the Dallas Wings.

The former Duke center’s second game went significantly better. Williams filled up the box score as she finished the night with 11 points, six rebounds and six assists in the Dream’s 81-63 victory against the Chicago Sky. Atlanta used double-digit leads in both the first and third quarter to cruise to its first win of the young season. In her 24 minutes of play, the four-year veteran picked her first block of the season to go along with 3-of-4 shooting from the charity strip.

Upcoming: May 26 vs. Dallas Wings; May 29 vs. Minnesota Lynx

Karima Christmas-Kelly, Dallas Wings 

In her third season opener with the Dallas Wings, Karima Christmas-Kelly scored nine points on 3-of-5 shooting from the field, finishing with perfect 3-of-3 shooting at the free throw line. Two of her three rebounds came on the offensive end. The Wings fell to the Phoenix Mercury in the opener 86-78.

But Dallas was able to get in the win column for the first time this season in game two against the Atlanta Dream last Sunday. Christmas-Kelly notched her first double-double of the year as the former Duke star grabbed 10 rebounds and scored 15 points in 33 minutes of action. The 6-foot center placed her footprint at the free throw line as she converted 11 of her 14 free throws.

In the Wings’ most recent game, Christmas-Kelly was held to a season-low seven points on 3-of-8 shooting from the field and one 3-pointer as Dallas dropped its third game to the Minnesota Lynx 76-68. The forward registered three of her four rebounds on the defensive end. Christmas-Kelly finished with one assist in each of the last two contests.

Upcoming: May 26 at Atlanta Dream; May 29 at New York Liberty

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